LOS ANGELES (AP) – Santa Ana winds gusted out of the mountains of Southern California on Wednesday, driving up temperatures and fanning several small brush fires that erupted in the drought-stricken region.
Firefighters aided by a squadron of water-dropping aircraft got their first test of the Santa Ana season with an overnight brush fire in hills above the Porter Ranch area of Los Angeles and held it in check at less than 30 acres, then battled similar fires above Granada Hills and Lake View Terrace.
“It’s getting very hot, very dry,” Los Angeles County fire Capt. Daniel Curry told reporters. “We’ve got all the elements.”
Temperatures hit the 80s and 90s in many areas, and the National Weather Service said Thursday would be even hotter, with some locations expected to reach 100 degrees.
Near downtown Los Angeles, conditions at Dodger Stadium were more like August than mid-October just hours before Game 4 of the National League Championship Series.